Holiday man accused of breaking into neighbor's home

HOLIDAY — A man is accused of breaking into a neighbor's home and stealing more than $12,000 worth of items last month.

Adolph Cortez Jr., 30, of Roxbury Drive, cut a screen and unlocked the lanai door, then entered the home through a sliding glass door, a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report said. Items taken included electronics, jewelry, collectors' memorabilia, decorations and lottery tickets.

Cortez's girlfriend, who reportedly saw him breaking in, confronted him and told him to return his neighbor's belongings, but he refused and took them "to an unknown location," the Sheriff's Office said. On Feb. 6, deputies said, Cortez sold a stolen diamond tennis bracelet to Captain Cash pawn shop, the report said.

Cortez denied any involvement in the thefts, the report said.

He was charged Tuesday with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft and released on $12,000 bail.